Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Oetie wrote: ↑26 Apr 2019 09:00 On another note, I have seen a video where a Cruiser attempted a snatch recovery on what looked like a Colt stuck in mud. This was recently with the floods in Mozambique. The Cruiser attempted the snatch in reverse as there was not enough space to turn around. At the end of the snatch there was a snap.... front axle moertoe and the other vehicle did not move a centimeter....

Somewhat off topic I know, BUT...
I have seen (on youtube), and heard so many cases of diffs (usually the front) when doing something hectic, like a recovery, in reverse. Now I know the Toy and Dana diffs seem to be prone (weaker) to this, compared to the Nissan diffs. I know I am a keyboard worrier at this stage, but I will never do a recovery again in reverse. I will never be "windgat", and show someone how I can do an obstacle in reverse. A diff is just not designed to run on the backside of it's gears and/or handle the forces in reverse. High pinion diffs are even more prone to weakness in reverse. I had a buddy with a Hilux that thought it would be OK to run a trail with 245's in the front and 31" in the rear. That front diff did not see 2km of the trail before it broke the spider gears and locked up. That promptly stuffed our day up for the rest of the trail..

Moral is JUST DON'T DO IT

davidvdm wrote: ↑26 Apr 2019 11:19 Somewhat off topic I know, BUT...
I have seen (on youtube), and heard so many cases of diffs (usually the front) when doing something hectic, like a recovery, in reverse. Now I know the Toy and Dana diffs seem to be prone (weaker) to this, compared to the Nissan diffs. I know I am a keyboard worrier at this stage, but I will never do a recovery again in reverse. I will never be "windgat", and show someone how I can do an obstacle in reverse. A diff is just not designed to run on the backside of it's gears and/or handle the forces in reverse. High pinion diffs are even more prone to weakness in reverse. I had a buddy with a Hilux that thought it would be OK to run a trail with 245's in the front and 31" in the rear. That front diff did not see 2km of the trail before it broke the spider gears and locked up. That promptly stuffed our day up for the rest of the trail..

Moral is JUST DON'T DO IT

Agree, reverse gear is a "No-no", but I was under the impression this is more to do with the reverse gear itself in the main box being a weak point (for most 4x4 makes, including Nissan), rather than the diffs.

Alex Roux wrote: ↑26 Apr 2019 11:50 Somewhat off topic I know, BUT...
IAgree, reverse gear is a "No-no", but I was under the impression this is more to do with the reverse gear itself in the main box being a weak point (for most 4x4 makes, including Nissan), rather than the diffs.

Not sure how things have change, but in the old days, reverse ran on straight cut "dog gears". Makes them a lot stronger, as the reverse was always the lowest ratio gear in the box. Also the reason why they are so noisy. Racing boxes are straight cut for strength, and you have heard how they can whine. But look at how a diff is constructed. In reverse, the forces push the pinion and ring gear apart, where as forward nearly causes more of a meshing together action. Anyhow, besides that we are hijacking this thread, it does not seem to be too much a problem for Patrols. I have not seen youtubers break patrols diffs , besides those guys running 37"-40" rubber, and that is more CV's than diffs.